Fire claims building at CCTV Beijing headquarters - 2/9

Flames have engulfed a tower in the new CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, a state-of-the-art building designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas housing the unfinished 40-story Beijing Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The building stands next door to the landmark CCTV Tower, also designed by Koolhaas. While no cause for the fire has been confirmed by officials, Chinese New Year fireworks went off around the building Monday and are believed to have caused the blaze.

According to various reports, residents in downtown Beijing had been showering the CCTV headquarters with fireworks, to celebrate the last night of the Chinese New Year holiday. Traditionally, Chinese officials waive restrictions on setting off fireworks during the holiday period.